Birth From the Ashes
by Z98
Summary: An American general tries to bring a UN military force into being while Kane builds Nod as a major power.
1. Chapter 1

This is a fic regarding the first C&C, the formation of GDI and how Nod came to power, and some other things I came up with. Also, I claim no rights to C&C in any of my fics. Westwood owns them and EA owns Westwood. Also, do remember this is an alternative timeline to our own, so there will be differences. Final note. I've seen several pre-C&C fanfics appearing on ff.net, but many people seem to be forgetting the original timeline of the storyline. As far as I have been able to get through my research and the net, this is the storyline. 1950, Soviet invasion of Europe. Beaten back after about five years. Alexander Romanov then becomes Premier of the USSR. Around 1965, the Soviet Union attacks America but after about two years, more or less, the Alliance wins again. This time, the USSR is broken up and becomes the Russian Federation. Then we go to the year 1995. Five years ago, the UN had voted unanimously to reveal the existence of Special Operations Group Echo, Black Ops 9 and renames it the Global Defense Initiative. Then, three years of war starting in 1995 with the Brotherhood of Nod ensue and finally end with the destruction of the Temple of Nod at Sarajevo. I'm not sure why but so many people assume that GDI was formed in the 90s. They were not. GDI was formed long before, maybe about ten to fifteen years before. Of course, the rest is more easily understood. Enjoy my version of how GDI was formed.  
  
Birth From the Ashes  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Major General Roberto Shield stood before the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The representatives of the United States, Great Britain, China, Germany, and France were sitting in front of him behind the massive oak desk. After facing down the Soviets in two World Wars and now at the age of fifty, the general wasn't about to back down on his proposal.  
  
"Now this idea is rather interesting," said James Larson, the US representative, "Though I'm afraid I'm not completely convinced that there is such a need for it."  
  
"Mr. Larson, if I may respectfully remind you, because there was not such an international force ready, the Soviet Union nearly took over the United States," said the Chinese representative, Zhan Sun, "I would think that of all people you would be one to support this."  
  
"That was nearly twenty years ago," said Larson, "The Russian Federation is a full ally of the United States and this time they will not attempt anything."  
  
"That is what you Americans said last time," Herman Feyer, "You have too short of a memory span."  
  
"Perhaps this taskforce might be needed, but so far nothing has appeared that might require us to have one," said Pierre Montage, "I do believe that our individual countries can handle all this."  
  
"Gentlemen, may I remind all of you that it was the combined might of all of our nations that defeated the Soviet Union twice," said Shield, "We are stronger if we stand together."  
  
The only one that had not spoken regarding the idea was the British representative. He had listened through the entire thing and so far had not uttered a word in approval or disapproval of the idea. It might be a good thing, or it might be a very bad thing.  
  
"I think we'll need more time to think about this," said Larson, "I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow."  
  
"I agree," said Winston Gregory. He had finally spoken.  
  
"Then it's settled," said Larson, "Until tomorrow gentlemen."  
  
The representatives got up and left the room. Shield waited a few more seconds until leaving the building. At least the council hadn't rejected his idea. He walked out of the UN building and got into his car.  
  
"Where to sir," his driver asked.  
  
"Back to base."  
  
The Humvee pulled into the New York traffic and headed out of the city. The US military base had been relocated to outside the city after World War III. As they drove along the seaside, Shield could see the reconstructed Statue of Liberty. Absolutely nothing better than the symbol of peace and power. Unfortunately, it caused many not so peaceful organizations to attempt to disrupt the peace. It was his job to keep them from succeeding. After a few more minutes they arrived at the base. The base commander, a colonel, was waiting for him.  
  
"Sir," he said.  
  
"Hello Colonel."  
  
Colonel Nick Bahador was an Iraqi refugee that had fled to the United States with his family. He had joined the US Army just in time to get thrown into the second conflict with the Soviet Union. He had fought with Shield in the war and got promoted to Colonel before a gun wound in his side sent him to safe territory.  
  
"So what did the Security Council say?"  
  
"They didn't reject it," said Shield, "I guess that should be a good sign."  
  
"Colonel!" a private yelled, "You'll want to see this!"  
  
The two officers walked into the mess hall and found several other soldiers looking at the TV.  
  
"The government of Afghanistan has been overthrow by a military coup led by the Fist of Allah party, originally thought to just be in Jordan," said the reporter, "They have executed all political and military officers not with them and have completely seized power within the country. Several other surrounding countries have offered their support and acknowledged the new government."  
  
"That's the fifth third-world country to change governments since the end of the war," said Shield, "This is ridiculous. I know the Middle East is unstable, but I didn't think that even there governments would switch so quickly."  
  
"There is much unhappiness in those countries," said Bahador, "It is a fuel which such parties use to their advantage to take control of a country."  
  
"This doesn't seem random," said Shield, "I mean, all of the countries that have changed governments are clustered together. Just last year the Pakistani government was overthrown and a people's government, in other words a dictatorship, was installed. There must be an objective."  
  
"The oil?" Bahador suggested.  
  
"Perhaps. We tore Iraq apart during World War III and they were the first to fall. Kuwait and Iran are still there, but I give Kuwait another year at most before it falls. Saudi Arabia is still stable, but that's because of American military presence in the country. None of the guerrilla groups dare move since we can go right in and take them out."  
  
"The worlds is a very unhappy place. I hear the Russian Federation has recovered nicely from the economic damage that we did to them. It seems that their gross national production is seventy percent as large as ours."  
  
"That's nice for the Russians. I guess we're friends now, but there isn't that much to build a friendship from. How is their army doing?"  
  
"They are doing a production run of their new T-99 tanks. Double barrels just like in World War II. Some European nations are a bit uneasy about that, but we have two heavy armor corps in Germany and Poland, and that is besides the forces the European Union has."  
  
"So what else is there for us to do? The world is at peace more or less, and we'll soon be out of jobs."  
  
"The world is not at peace my friend. The Middle East is ready to erupt, but no one is willing to see it."  
  
"It is not human nature to court trouble Nick. That's why we try to deny it."  
  
"Currently, the UN has not interfered with any of these military coups and it does not look like they will do so in the close future," the reporter continued, "In other news."  
  
"You know what I think about all this Nick?"  
  
"That we should stamp out all these various terrorist organizations?" Nick offered, "Forget about it. We hunt them but the smart ones always survive."  
  
"That's why we must keep hunting. A terrorist is nothing but a professional murderer of the innocent. Next time we go to the Middle East for a combat mission, I'd like us to actually do something."  
  
"The government will never approve of that."  
  
"Screw the government," Shield spat, "All they care about right now is rebuilding our country. They should make a law that permits us to move in and hunt down terrorist organizations in other countries providing we have permission."  
  
"I've heard that the Democratic Party wants such a law," said Bahador, "What party are you sir?"  
  
"I'm thinking of switching," he answered. Two Apaches flew overhead as they returned from a training run. With all the power he controlled, he still couldn't get the politicians to listen to him. Well, the German and Chinese representatives listened and supported him, but if the American representative didn't he didn't stand much of a chance in getting the US government to support him. Life sucked.  
  
  
  
A bald man with a beard in a black outfit walked into the room. Sitting inside the conference room were six other men. Three of them were Arab while two others were Caucasian and the last member Asian. The man sat down and nodded to the man sitting to his right before speaking.  
  
"Gentlemen. Let us welcome our new brother, Mohammed Abdullah of Afghanistan. Congratulations on overthrowing the corrupt government that plagued your nation."  
  
"Thank you Kane. I am honored to be welcomed into the Brotherhood."  
  
"The Afghani people have long wanted to be free from the oppression of the west-controlled government that held reign over their land," said Kane, "How could we not respond. Now, there is a rather interesting piece of information that has come up. Seth. Explain it."  
  
"We have become aware of a certain US Army general that wants the United Nations to establish a sort of global antiterrorist organization. Of course, this is contrary to our interests as such an organization will be used to fight against our brothers in other countries that have not yet seen the light."  
  
"We must stop this immediately!" one of the men said.  
  
"We are working on it," said Seth. He pressed a few buttons and the image of the general appeared on the wall. Three of the men turned so that they could see it. "This is Major General Roberto Shield. He is one of the surviving American generals that fought in World War III against the Soviet Union. He is the one who came up with the concept. Our agent reported it at the earliest opportunity and now awaits our instructions. All we have to do is order him to support it or not support it."  
  
"We must do more than that," said the Asian man, "We must eliminate the threat that Shield possess to us."  
  
"That would merely prove his point," said Kane, "We need to defeat his cause politically otherwise the UN will decide to form such an organization."  
  
"Politically we can do so," said Seth, "Our agents are already working on destabilizing what support he has."  
  
"There is another matter at hand," said Kane, "It would seem that we have lost the Russian Federation. Our supporters have all been removed from office, killed, or expelled out of the country. Therefore, the Russians are no longer our allies. However, their previous gifts to the Brotherhood will be very useful. Also, combined with the technology that our agents within the Alliance have delivered to us, we can begin constructing our armies."  
  
"We will support you in any way we can," said the Arab, "We know who to contact for weapons."  
  
"Good. Currently, we are short of armored weapons. See to it that we get some. We require that they be of sufficient quality to stand up against enemy forces in battle. Once the temple at Sarajevo is completed, nothing will be able to stop us. Not even America."  
  
  
  
A small group of guerillas climbed over the wall and landed as softly as they could. They placed charges against the wall and ran out of the blast radius. The explosion knocked a section of the wall down and their fellow soldiers poured in. The guards were taken by surprise and quickly killed. The guerillas took whatever weapons and equipment they could and disappeared into the night. Yet another victory for the Colombian Revolutionary Army.  
  
  
  
Shield hated the desk job. He finished the last of the papers for the accounting and set them aside. Now he could concentrate on his little pet project. President Carter had given Shield enough support to set up a sort of covert operations team. This was an all-American team and was not the international force that Shield had envisioned, but it was a starting place. Most of the soldiers were originally Delta Force and Navy SEAL operatives. The intelligence officers were mostly former CIA agents, while there were a few FBI agents within the team as well. However, there was nothing for them to do. Terrorism in the US was rare and most of the other countries that might need them had their own teams to handle such operations. Perhaps something would come up. He knew it was wrong of him, but Shield wished that someone out there would try to cause some trouble. There was a knock on his door just then.  
  
"Come in," he said.  
  
Bahador walked into the room. "Hello General."  
  
"Nick. Anything wrong?"  
  
"Not really. I'm dropping off a few files for you to look over."  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"Since you're so interested in understanding the networks that the terrorists all use, I thought you might want to review their information."  
  
"That's an interesting idea. You know, I've always suspected that there's some other group that's been funding them. Some overall group in control of them."  
  
"That would be highly unlikely sir. No evidence of such a network exists."  
  
"That's the thing. Evidence can be covered up and they also can be manufactured. We never know for sure which is fact and which is fiction until after we put them to use."  
  
"Perhaps you should work for the DIA instead," Bahador joked.  
  
"They're all a bunch of suits. Hell, I'm a suit now. I originally wanted to be a field commander. Instead I'm stuck in a desk job."  
  
"The men in Washington think they're rewarding you."  
  
Shield sighed. He looked at a picture on his desk. It was him when he was twenty and still stupid. He was with another American who had fought alongside the Germans against the Soviet forces during World War II. He picked it up and examined the picture.  
  
"Do you know when this was taken?" Shield asked his friend.  
  
"It was after Allied forces had disabled four Soviet nuclear weapons," answered Bahador, "The man you were standing next to was Zachary Keith."  
  
"We were good friends. Our two divisions fought side by side for many battles. We were like brothers."  
  
"I seem to recall you saying that both of you competed for the same woman."  
  
"Zach won," said Shield, "She was a German nurse. Zach met her during the assault on Berlin. She was one of the captured prisoners inside the city. Zach deserved her more. Me, I'm a guy that's married to the job. I would never have the time for a family. Zach somehow balanced it though."  
  
"What happened?" Bahador asked. Even though the two were good friends, Shield had never told him.  
  
"Zach married her and they lived in New York City. Both his son and wife were killed during the initial invasion. After that, he rejoined the army and became one of the primary field commanders. He commanded many covert missions, not all success. But he was an excellent soldier and my best friend."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Zach went crazy after that. But somehow he stayed in control and took out several Soviet armies with the forces under his command. If it weren't for him, you and I wouldn't have been able to finish off the Soviets and take out Yuri."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"Zach was a general near the end of the war. There was actually another force that was supposed to back us up on the final assault in Antarctica. But his force was ambushed. Zach took heavy losses but defeated Yuri's forces. He died though. He threw himself in the way of enemy fire to save a few of his colonels."  
  
Bahador was speechless for a few seconds as he digested all this. "He is a true commander."  
  
"I'm afraid that the entire story will never be told. He's the unsung hero of the war. If those idiots in Washington can get their head out of the mud, then maybe he'll get the recognition he deserves. Anyways, enough about that. Anything interesting I should take a look at?"  
  
"All of the new governments that took over in the Middle East and Asia have been forming alliances with each other. They just welcomed Jordan into their alliance."  
  
"So they're linked," said Shield, "That isn't much."  
  
"It's better than nothing sir," Bahador said dryly.  
  
"All right. I'll look gone over once I get the chance. Maybe we'll find something."  
  
"Don't lose sleep over it sir. I've already gone over the data several times. There isn't much to link together."  
  
Shield nodded and Bahador left the room. He was tired and rubbed his eyes. The chair he had was a nice one, but it wasn't very comfortable at the moment. He thought back. Well, there wasn't much he could do at the moment. The accounting would be handled by one of his secretaries. The information Bahador had left him might be interesting.  
  
  
  
President Andre Golovoko was exhausted. He just wanted a few hours of sleep. No. Just a few minutes would suffice.  
  
"Comrade President, the economic reports."  
  
Golovoko nodded. After the Russian Federation had freed itself from its socialist system, it had had to completely reorganize its economy and that was no small task. Two major weapons factories had been converted to make cars and washing machines while the remaining weapons plants were making weapons for export. Their main buyers were from the Middle East. A certain organization had been rather busy of late, buying up large amounts of weapons. That was something to worry about, but Golovoko knew he could do nothing about it.  
  
"Comrade Chairman," Golovoko said to Sergey Klerk, the head of the SVR, "We currently have the economy under control more or less. However, it has come to my notice that someone has been laundering money from several of our ministries. Who is it?"  
  
"Comrade President, we are no longer the KGB," said Klerk. That was certainly true. The SVR, formerly the first directorate of the Committee for State Security, was indeed not the KGB. Even the Federal Security Service was a shadow of its former self.  
  
"There is evidence that points to foreign influence," said the head of the FSS, Marko Zukov.  
  
"Then Chairman Klerk. It seems that falls under your jurisdiction."  
  
Klerk nodded. In fact, he had been working on identifying who was laundering the money. It was rather small amounts in each case, but the total was well over several billion dollars. It would be a task to unravel everything.  
  
Golovoko looked at the reports. The ruble had stabilized and the exchange value for it and the dollar was six to one. It wasn't too bad. What was truly worrisome was the alliance south of Russia. Several Middle East and Asia countries had joined in a major alliance and it looked as if they would threaten Russia if they grew any stronger.  
  
"Very well. Is there anything else relevant enough that we need to discuss? Good. I'm going to get some rest."  
  
  
  
President Wayne Carter was flying back to the states after a rather successful meeting with the Prime Minister of China. The new Republic of China was not like the old communist government that had existed before. This one was more free and open. China was now the third superpower of the world. The United States was first and Russia, while weakened, was still second. He checked the time. Two more hours before he would get back to the states. Might as well review some of the technical reports regarding a project that Pentagon R&D was working on.  
  
He took out a manila folder and opened it. Some of the things didn't make too much sense but that was expected. However, what truly intrigued him was that the scientists and technicians were working on an AI, and Artificial Intelligence. They were using Lieutenant Eva's voice, the officer that was the operations officer for General Shield, as a template for answering a query. They were also calling it EVA, for Electronic Voice Address System. Very clever actually. The progress on it was slow, but in two years they would have a prototype. Technology had jumped greatly because of World War III. The particle weapons research that the US had conducted during it was now being used for larger purposes. Even though they would be decades away from actually getting a proper system up, the idea that had been proposed was brilliant.  
  
Carter put the reports away. He couldn't understand any more of it. So far, the economy was in great condition, selling and buying from China and Russia, as well as the European Union, and the dollar was very strong. The only thing that wasn't good was his political platform. Many people questioned his policy regarding China and Russia, but Carter was sure he could handle this. Almost.  
  
"Mr. President."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"There's a call for you. It's General Duke."  
  
Carter picked up the phone. "Hello Duke."  
  
"Mr. President. We've been receiving a lot of reports regarding some sort of terrorist attack that is going to take place. We think that it would be prudent for you to be relocated to a secure location."  
  
"General, I'll be fine. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with people like you watching over me?"  
  
"A lot Mr. President. Just because the Russians are out of the war-making business doesn't mean that some other nations aren't as well."  
  
"What country would dare to actually attack us directly?"  
  
"I don't know Mr. President, but there are ones who will."  
  
"All right. But first I want you to-"  
  
Alarms suddenly cut him off. Two Secret Service agents rushed in and grabbed him.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Don't know sir," said an agent.  
  
Carter dropped the phone with Duke still on the other end, wondering what had gone wrong. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the plane.  
  
"Who's attacking us?" Carter demanded.  
  
"Sir, we need to get you down to the escape pod."  
  
Then, five missiles struck the body of the plane. Air Force One was incinerated in a blast of heat and fire, the burning wreckage dropping into the Pacific Ocean.  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
Well, as you can see, the president is dead and we are in trouble. Yes, this is the same Zachary Keith from Where is My Homeland? and that was a spoiler, but none of you know exactly how everything happened. Actually, I've decided to do something like this. Where is My Homeland is the story that takes place in RA1. I'll do another story regarding RA2 to fits the actual storyline and this is the story about GDI and Nod. Of course, we also have my Tiberian Eve, Moonrise, and joint story with Book-Master, Tiberian Eclipse. It's rather fitting actually. This is a series that tells the entire story regarding the C&C timeline. Though I'll still need to do something about Tiberian Sun and Firestorm. Also, I need reviews for my story Gathering of Force. Just look under my profile.  
  
Z98 


	2. Chapter 2

I actually had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while. As many of you can probably tell, I try to develop stories out so that they are more interesting and will actually hold a reader's attention.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States," said Henry Gregory, "It is my sad duty to report the death of President Wayne Carter. The president was over the Pacific, on his way home after a diplomatic trip to the Republic of China. Unknown fighters appeared and attacked Air Force One, shooting it down. We believe that there are no survivors. A search is being conducted to try to find any possible evidence that might lead us to the murderers of President Carter. Let us have a moment of silence to bade our respects and our deep sorrow to President Carter's wife and son."  
  
  
  
"Holy shit," said Shield, "Somebody whacked the president? Do we know of any terrorist groups that could do that?"  
  
"It would be quite a stretch for any terrorist group," said Bahador, "Considering that they would have needed to launch fighters from an island with an airbase and have the fighters necessary to engage Air Force One."  
  
"So in other words we have no idea who could have done this."  
  
"It would have to be an organization that is very well funded. They must be able to buy weapons like air to air missiles and fighter jets. I'm pretty sure that most terrorist groups normally don't buy those things. Their supporting governments do, but they themselves usually do not."  
  
"How many groups are eliminated because they don't have the resources?" Shield asked.  
  
"Most," answered Bahador, "There are some that we don't know too much about, and therefore we don't know too much about their capabilities."  
  
"We'll have to wait until the investigation turns up something," said Shield, "By the way, whose jurisdiction does this fall under?"  
  
"Secret Service takes care of things like attacks on government officials, FBI does terrorist attacks, and the military and CIA has jurisdiction over military and international acts."  
  
"We would have the most experience regarding such things," said Shields, "If we do get the investigation, which department would get it?"  
  
"Probably DIA," Bahador suggested.  
  
"Suits. I'm going to send a request and ask them to let my men handle the investigation."  
  
"They probably won't go for it."  
  
"Then when they screw up they can come crawling back," said Shield.  
  
Bahador cracked a smile before picking up his papers and leaving the office. Shield quickly typed up a message and sent it to the Pentagon. It ought to be interesting to see the reaction of the upper brass. He twisted his neck and heard it crack. In his fifties, Shield was starting to feel very old. He left the office and went outside. Dozens of Special Forces soldiers like SEAL and Delta Force were jogging around. The team he had was a paramilitary unit, not an intelligence gathering organization. He was still a little weak on that department, but the former CIA and FBI officers he had managed to recruit might get something to do providing the Pentagon would allow him to join in the investigation. Suits. And the worst part of it was that he was now a suit as well. Not a happy thought.  
  
  
  
The collection of light tanks drove across the desert. They were all powerful enough to match and defeat the enemy units. Infantry followed behind them and would occupy the city. This was the first time that the Brotherhood of Nod had openly shown its military strength. Therefore, this was a rather special occasion. Iran had long been an ally of the United States ever since the US had helped drive out the Red Army from their lands. Unfortunately for the Iranians, the Brotherhood had taken an interest in their territory once again. The oil under Iranian soil would help fuel the war against the west and give the Brotherhood much economic power.  
  
Seth was in a command vehicle conducting the operations. The tanks tore through the Humvees and Attack Cycles the Iranian Army had. The few tanks they deployed were outdated and the Nod forces easily marched into Tehran. This was good. The Brotherhood had expanded greatly in the past few years and he intended to see it expand even more. Nod soldiers stormed the city, killing many civilians and destroying anything that they didn't like the look of. Once the initial shock of conquest had subsided, the people would fall into line. They were used to such an oppressive life. But at least as part of the Brotherhood they had a mission. The radio clicked.  
  
"This is Seth."  
  
"General, we have secured the city and the government leaders have been taken."  
  
"I am on my way."  
  
He nodded to the driver and they entered the city. A path had been cleared so that Seth could get to the capital building. When he was in view, he saw that a massive Nod flag had been draped over it. The sight brought a smile to his face. After years of having to wait and not fight back, the Brotherhood was finally revealing itself to the world.  
  
Seth walked up the stairs and found an honor guard waiting for him. As the second in command of Nod, this was something he had grown to expect and like. The guards escorted him inside to a chamber where the captured leaders of Iran were waiting. Seth sat down across from them.  
  
"What is it you want?" the Prime Minister asked.  
  
"Simply that you had control of your country to us voluntarily," said Seth.  
  
"We cannot do that."  
  
"We will have control. Which way we seize control depends on you."  
  
A few government officials flinched. They all knew what this meant.  
  
"You will have an agreement for you to sign in an hour," said Seth, "You have until then to decide."  
  
Seth got up and left the room. There really wasn't much else for him to say. If the Iranians cooperated, then they would be allowed to continue running the government under Nod supervision. If not, they were always replaceable.  
  
"General Seth, Grand Marshal Kane wants to speak with you," a soldier said as Seth returned to the command vehicle.  
  
Seth nodded and sat down at the communications post. He accessed the transmission.  
  
"I hope everything has gone well," said Kane.  
  
"The Iranian military coup has been successful. We currently control the capital and they will bow under our pressure or they will die."  
  
"Good. This must look like a coup launched by their military leaders. Whether they agree to our demands or not, execute them."  
  
"Yes Kane." So much for their hopes of staying alive. "Who shall we appoint as the new leader?"  
  
"General Ortes will do. He is loyal to us and will be able to make the country more to our liking."  
  
"Understood."  
  
  
  
The meeting between the UN Security Council and several American generals had been canceled. The new situation in the Middle East had greatly drawn many people's attention. The new governments were very anti-west and were demanding more money for the oil the western nations bought. Gregory, now the president, was struggling to deal with all these situations. The State Department suggested that they try to negotiate some sort of deal. It was obvious that most of the nations wanted military arms in exchange for the oil. Their current largest supply of such weapons was Russia, as that country still needed to sell a large amount in order to get enough money to finish rebuilding their economy. However, the CIA had a very different outlook on the crisis.  
  
"I don't think that we'll be able to negotiate any sort of deal with them," said Robert Taylor, "These countries don't like us and currently they believe that they can hold us hostage by cutting off the oil."  
  
"Which they can," Gregory reminded the CIA director.  
  
"Right. But we've seen an alarmingly large amount of military force used in many of those countries during the military coups and such. The Saudis are getting worried and have asked us to bring in more troops for assistance."  
  
"Aren't they worried what their fellow Arabs will think about that?" Gregory asked.  
  
"They're beyond caring," said Taylor, "Look, we've seen six countries in the Middle East or near it that have had changes in their government, all of the changes incited by their military using more muscle than we thought any of them had. There has to be outside support for this."  
  
"And can you tell me right now that there is such support?" demanded Alex Westers.  
  
Taylor looked at the Secretary of State before answering.  
  
"Nothing in the intelligent business is absolute," said Taylor, "If we waited to confirm everything and make sure it was one hundred percent true, we would never get anything done, and making a mistake is better than just sitting there and waiting for a mistake to happen."  
  
"Mr. President, despite Mr. Taylor's opinion, I do believe that we can negotiate a deal with these new governments. They're civilized people and they will listen to reason."  
  
"Mr. President, these people want weapons. They want to kill our citizens. I really don't think that we want to give them the equipment to do so."  
  
Gregory looked at his Secretary of Defense. So far, the man had not spoken for the entire meeting.  
  
"Kevin, do you have anything to say?"  
  
Kevin Paris, the Secretary of Defense and a former general during World War II and III, stared off for a few seconds before answering.  
  
"Mr. President, I would suggest not attempting to negotiate with them. One slight mistake and then we're going to have them demanding some concession or another and then the media is going to tear us apart for making such a mistake."  
  
Gregory had to agree on that point. "So how do we approach this?"  
  
"Tell them that threatening our oil supplies is a very dangerous move for them," suggested Taylor, "Such a warning might wake them up. Unless they're really stupid or if someone is really pulling their strings and keeps them on this course, we should have a resolution."  
  
"I disagree," said Westers, "We're the United States. We don't threaten or demand from countries. We have no right to make a country do whatever we want them to do."  
  
"That's an old argument," said Paris, "and that argument nearly destroyed our country twice. We either make this lesson stick or else we'll have World War IV in another decade."  
  
Gregory considered each man's opinion. So far, Taylor and Paris had shown the most backbone. Westers just wanted to negotiate and not try to force anything. That was most certainly a mistake.  
  
"We'll lay it on them. Alex, you are to send a message to their governments that if they attempt to cut off our oil supplies, the consequences might not be to their liking."  
  
"Mr. President, that is a mistake."  
  
"Then make it a mistake. I'm not about to let them threaten our oil supplies just because they don't like us. Kevin, I want an armored division moved to Saudi Arabia."  
  
"There's also a Special Forces team that I would like to move there," said Paris.  
  
"Authorized. Give me the details once everything is ready. We protect our allies, but we also destroy our enemies."  
  
  
  
Shield raised an eyebrow when he read the order. "Send me Colonel Bahador."  
  
A few seconds the colonel entered his office.  
  
"Sir."  
  
"Sit down. Read this." Shield threw him the fax.  
  
Orders from Secretary of Defense Kevin Paris  
  
Orders from the President of the United States  
  
Special Operations Group Echo, Black Ops. 9  
  
Ordered to Saudi Arabia US Military Base. Deploy and prepare for possible military action against dissidents of Saudi military. 7th Armored Division to deploy in Saudi Arabia. Assist Group Echo in operations.  
  
"Son of a bitch," muttered Bahador.  
  
"Guess we finally got our wish," said Shield, "Either they're sending us there to get rid of me or they're really worried about something."  
  
"The only question is what are they worried about."  
  
"We'll see when we get there. Get the troops organized for departure," ordered Shield, "Group Echo will go over on plane with the crews and officers of 7th Armored. The vehicles will go over by ship. Anything else just call me and I'll think of something."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"What's the standing strength of 7th Armored?"  
  
"Sixty tanks roughly. They also have two infantry and antitank battalions for support."  
  
"Is that going to be enough?"  
  
"Let's hope so."  
  
"You do realize that this means we won't be here for the president's funeral," Bahador reminded Shield.  
  
"The funeral is symbolic. There isn't a body and I doubt that they'll ever find one in the Pacific."  
  
"Quite sir. By the way, you might want to warn some of your female officers to be careful how they act around the Saudis," warned Bahador.  
  
"Why? Oh yeah. That Islam thing."  
  
"That thing as you put it is a rather delicate matter."  
  
"Tell me about it," complained Shield, "I personally don't need to have to deal with this."  
  
"Understood sir. I'll try to handle these matters myself. It might help that I'm an Arab as well."  
  
"Thanks Nick."  
  
  
  
Shield was outside in the tank lot inspecting the many M1A1 tanks. They hadn't changed much from the ones he had commanded during World War III. Their design was good and recent upgrades had made it still one of the most effective tanks in the world. Development was taking place on the M1A2 tanks, but it would be years before that came to full fruition. The current tanks were good enough. He walked past a few more with one of his assistants behind him. He then walked over to the line of Bradleys. Equipped with missiles, they were very useful in taking out enemy armor. Not exactly the Battle Fortress he had used in the war, but they would suffice. Especially considering that production on Battle Fortresses was scrapped. So far, the IFV design had also been discontinued, as had a few other technological marvels the war had produced. The one he would miss the most was the Chronosphere. Perhaps the most strategically important weapon ever developed, scientists claimed that it was messing with the timeline so the Chronosphere was torn down. Another nice weapon he truly missed was the Weather Control Device. However, again scientists claimed that it was messing with ionic patterns in the atmosphere and the damage had already been done. He examined one of the Bradleys and nodded. They seemed to be in good shape.  
  
Shield walked over to where the Apache Longbow Helicopters were. The eight helipads were all filled with the attack copters. That also reminded him of the Prism Tower technology. Particle weapons research was still being continued in Germany and the United States. The two countries were sharing the information gathered from their joint venture. The US currently was considering a possible way to use it as an antiballistic defense system while the Germans were thinking on a slightly larger scale. Unfortunately, the Prism Towers had all been taken down and all Prism Tanks had been scrapped. However, the designs for these marvelous weapons were stored on a data disk. It was incredible, all the information held on one disk.  
  
He watched two helicopters take off on practice runs. They were very effective against armor but Shield still hoped that he wouldn't have to ever use them. He then headed back to the command center. The weapons inspection had been completed and they would soon ship out. 7th Armored should keep whatever troublemakers there were a run for their money.  
  
"All right. Let's move out. Our boys have to load up the damn things now."  
  
"General!"  
  
Shield turned his head and saw a young sergeant running over.  
  
"From the Pentagon sir," the sergeant said giving him sheet.  
  
"Well. It seems we're leaving our equipment behind. Seems the equipment from Diego Garcia has already been shipped there. Fine by me. Send an acknowledgement to the Pentagon. Get the troops packed up and we'll move out as soon as we're ready. Dismissed.  
  
"Yes sir." The sergeant ran back to the command center.  
  
Shield walked back into the command building. He would have some support while in Saudi Arabia but it would get lonely there.  
  
"Assemble Group Echo's commanders," Shield said to his secretary, "We need to talk."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Ten minutes later a colonel and two majors were sitting inside the conference room.  
  
"Gentlemen, what we have here is a little situation that could drag us into another world war," Shield started, "The Middle East is boiling over again and the Saudi government has asked for a US military presence on their soil for deterrence purposes. Therefore, the Secretary of Defense has decided that we are the people for this job. We are being deployed in Saudi Arabia along with 7th Armored and an air wing. That should be enough."  
  
"Begging your pardon sir, but does the Secretary really think that?"  
  
Shield looked at the speaker. Colonel Sheppard. A rather young man for a colonel but still a capable one. He was originally in the Army Rangers before Shield had dragged him into Group Echo.  
  
"I doubt it," Shield admitted, "Major Morelli. Do you agree with the Secretary's opinion?"  
  
"I really do not think that our force will deter anybody," said Morelli, "Our troops will certainly give someone pause but of course that won't be enough. Our air wing is composed of F-15 Eagles and I would hope that they would be able to handle any air threats. It has a total of eight squadrons anyways."  
  
"What about air support for Echo?" Sheppard asked.  
  
"Apache Longbows," answered Shield, "I also managed to shake up some funds and we have one squadron of F-18 Hornets, the attack version."  
  
"Those are navy planes," Major Carter noted.  
  
"Yes. But they're all we've got so make the best out of it. Besides, the Marine Corps uses them. They're well suited to their job."  
  
"I assume the Saudis are playing for some of the deployment cost," said Sheppard.  
  
"They're supplying all of the fuel and ammunition."  
  
"Rather generous of them," commented Carter.  
  
"Right. But our job is to do all the fighting if it comes down to that. Group Echo is better trained and equipped to handle insertion and fast assault missions. 7th Armored will be held back to deal with the bigger threats."  
  
"Like a military coup," Sheppard suggested.  
  
"That's what's probably worrying the Saudi government," said Shield, "Well, Echo doesn't have that much heavy equipment. Most of it is already on its way to Saudi Arabia and will be there shortly. For now let's go and get our men on the planes. We'll need all the luck we have to finish this."  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
By the way, what does NKVD stand for?  
  
Z98 


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize if I got Saudi Arabia's capital wrong. The map I am forced to use because we have no other ones in English at my house still has the USSR on it.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Shield stretched his legs as he got off the commercial airplane. It seemed a bit odd that they would send him on a commercial flight instead of a military plane but someone in the Pentagon probably came up with a political reason. Colonel Sheppard and Majors Morelli and Carter were behind him. Colonel Bahador had arrived several days earlier to prepare the way for the US troops. Several American GIs were waiting for them with a Saudi official.  
  
"General Shield," said the Saudi official, "I am Abdullah Muhammad of the Saudi government and my country is very grateful that the United States has agreed to assist us in these times."  
  
"My country does its best to protect its friends," replied Shield.  
  
"Come this way. We have transportation to the base ready."  
  
Shield and his three officers followed Muhammad outside and got into a humvee.  
  
"You may not know this but several factions are currently on Saudi territory without our permission," said Muhammad, "They are very well equipped with Russian weapons and vehicles and it is our belief that they are attempting to launch a military coup."  
  
"How many people sympathize with them?" Carter asked.  
  
"Only a small faction of the military support them. However, it is enough. We also believe that they have outside support, though we are not completely sure from where."  
  
"Possibly Russia?" suggested Sheppard.  
  
"No. That is very unlikely. The Russians have nothing to gain from this. We are already their ally and we sell oil to them. Our own troops are equipped with Russian equipment but the main problem is that we are almost evenly matched. If a military coup was launched it has a very good chance of succeeding."  
  
"And that is why you requested a US military presence in your country," said Shield, "Well, I can understand your situation. Perhaps if we were to attack these cells in your country."  
  
"That would be greatly appreciated," said Muhammad, "We have their locations but we just don't have the necessary troops to do so."  
  
"We'll need some special ordinance for this," said Morelli, "The air wing has some of the stuff but we'll need to bring in more."  
  
"Okay. Send a request in once we're at the base. May I have a map and all known intelligence regarding these cells?"  
  
"We have already supplied them to you," said Muhammad, "Please understand General Shield, my government is in a terrible position. We will be forever grateful for whatever support you can give us."  
  
"I'm sure our diplomats can talk over such things later," said Shield, "We're here to do a job and to do it right."  
  
They arrived at the base and Shield and the three officers got out. Muhammad rode back to Ar-Riyad, the capital.  
  
"Let's take a look at the maps," said Shield, "We should move in quickly."  
  
"Do you want me to come up with a battle plan?" Sheppard asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are the rules?"  
  
"Minimal civilian casualties if possible," said Shield, "First priority is defeating them. If we get lucky and take a prisoner, then we'll interrogate him or her. However, that isn't the primary mission. We're here to do something about this damn situation."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Major Morelli, I want air units up and ready to strike at any targets our forces find necessary."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Everyone else, let's get ready for a major deployment. I expect that our coup perpetrators will not give us much time to prepare."  
  
Sheppard and Carter walked off to start working on a battle plan. Morelli walked over to the runway to talk with the squadron leaders and wing commander. Sheppard and Carter walked into a large officer covered with maps showing the locations of several cells and training camps for the coup forces.  
  
"I think we'll need major support to take out some of these camps," said Carter.  
  
"The big ones we can leave to 7th Armored. It's these three that I'm interested in."  
  
Sheppard had just flipped through a folder that had a brief description of what each camp was.  
  
"These look like they're more like command centers than actual training centers."  
  
"So go for the brain of the operations," said Carter, "Smart. But who do we send in?"  
  
"What exactly do we have?" Sheppard asked.  
  
"All of Group Echo has been deployed here. We have about a battalion sized force."  
  
"Okay. That means we can hit them in force. Let's try to incapacitate their troops. There was this special type of napalm that they were developing. It is designed to kill but leave their bodies and structures intact."  
  
"That's one of the things General Shield made sure we were equipped with," said Carter, "You think we should have the air wing bomb them with this stuff, then move in and take a look at what they have?"  
  
"Yes. We don't really know much about these organizations. CIA has had no luck in digging up anything for this. Besides, the US hasn't been that involved here for a while. I really think we'll need to work on digging up some more stuff on this."  
  
"I'll lead the strike force in myself," Carter volunteered.  
  
"Okay. We'll dump some of that new napalm and then move in with three teams of fifteen. We can't take too many risks. I want two other teams on standby and they will move in once the area has been secured to reinforce our forces. Do you need anything else?"  
  
"I'd like it if we had two Apaches supplied air support when we move in. The new infrared stuff is supposed to be really good."  
  
"I know," said Sheppard, "I'll get General Shield to approve this and we'll the move on. Damn that guy is one tough son of a bitch."  
  
"He fought in two of the three world wars. In World War II he was in the American division that attacked the Soviet atomic weapons facility. In World War III he defeated the Soviets and Yuri. He's tough all right."  
  
"He'll go for this," Sheppard said, "We'll iron out a few details and we'll move out in two days."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Sheppard took one of the maps and walked over to Shield's office. He knocked three times.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Sheppard entered the room and found Shield relaxing in his chair.  
  
"Well what do you have Colonel?"  
  
"We came up with a plan to attack one of the cells," said Sheppard, "It'll be a quick insertion mission but we want you to authorize the use of that new napalm that destroys flesh but doesn't destroy materials."  
  
"That'll be a bit tricky," said Shield, "They'll still burn paper."  
  
"We know that sir. It's better than nothing."  
  
"All right. What teams are you taking in?"  
  
"Just troops from Group Echo," answered Sheppard, "I'm sure we can handle this."  
  
Sheppard nodded. "I assume we send back any information back to the Pentagon through secure channels."  
  
"Yes. We go through outside measures for this. We'll transmit using our Infinity system."  
  
"That's supposed to be unbreakable."  
  
"Theoretically," Shield reminded Sheppard.  
  
"Well, we'll soon see."  
  
  
  
Eight A-10 Warthogs from the US contingent already present in the country were headed towards the enemy base. Teams on board Blackhawks were right behind them as they went in for their attack run. The pilots of the A-10s could see enemy troops rushing out and trying to shoot them down. They let loose with their gattling guns and dropped the bombs. They were spread out and the resulting firestorm swept through the base killing most of the enemy troops. A few managed to get into cover. Group Echo Blackhawks arrived and the troops started zip lining down. Several enemy soldiers appeared and tried to start a fight but the machineguns on the Blackhawks chewed them to pieces. The US troops ran across the base and put bullets in the heads of everyone the found. This was no time for carelessness. Another Blackhawk landed and five computer and intelligence experts appeared. They were escorted to where the enemy command post was. Several other soldiers were behind them and brought in large boxes. The troops put every piece of paper into the boxes and quickly pulled back. A Chinook appeared and landed in a clear spot. The troops loaded up the papers and computer equipment. After that they reboarded their respective helicopters and took off. All that remained was a silence over the base, every body dead.  
  
  
  
"I have to say," said Shield, "I'm impressed."  
  
"Our intelligence experts have cracked most of the codes they used," said Sheppard, "Their computer codes are proving more difficult but they've almost got it. Once that is done we can ship all the stuff back to the States on airplanes."  
  
"So is there anything interesting in the papers that we seized?"  
  
Sheppard threw a folder with several sheets of paper on it. Shield read through them quickly.  
  
"Something called the Brotherhood is mentioned many times in these papers," said Sheppard, "Our analysts don't know what it is and they've never heard of a Brotherhood."  
  
"So we just dug up another terrorist organization," Shield muttered, "Just great. But what exactly are we supposed to do with this? Track down this Brotherhood and destroy them? We don't know what this Brotherhood is. Until we do, we really can't do anything about them."  
  
"I know that sir," said Sheppard, "I want permission to attack these other two bases. With more information, we'll know what to do."  
  
"We might know what to do but I doubt we'll be able to do it. Good work. Give me time to read over this. You can attack one of the enemy bases. I'll file a report with the Pentagon and the Saudi government."  
  
"Yes sir. I'll get right on it."  
  
Sheppard left Shield reading the file. The sheets were about orders from a Brotherhood, telling the cell to prepare for a revolution. It was one day old so the revolution was going to take place very soon. There were also several pages of weapons transactions. A lot of armor was moving across the borders. Infantry weapons composed of AR-15 rifles, the civilian version of the M-16. There were also shipments of AT-4 Antitank weapons. There was enough to equip a small army. Most of the other stuff was Russian equipment like AK-47s and some of the rather small T-20 tanks. The T-20 was built for export and was a light tank with decent firepower but not very impressive. The US Abram tanks were more than a match for them. Shield picked up his phone and called to Bahador.  
  
"Nick, it's Rob. I want you to make sure that all of our forces be ready to move out in a matter of seconds if need be."  
  
"Yes sir. Anything else?"  
  
"Yeah. Tell the Saudi government that we've recovered information that points to a possible coup."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Shield hung up and resumed reading. Total he hoped that his forces would be able to take out whoever was planning this. He hoped.  
  
  
  
Seth was riding in a Nod command vehicle leaving a large base. All of the troops here were Nod and they were better equipped than any of the other militia and terrorist organizations around it. If the US troops tried to take this base they would encounter extreme difficulties.  
  
  
  
"We take this base."  
  
Carter and Morelli looked at the base Sheppard pointed at.  
  
"That's a pretty big base," said Morelli, "You sure we can take it?"  
  
"We can't keep repeating tactics," said Sheppard, "so I'm going to ask for armored support. I'm sure that the good general can part with battalion of tanks."  
  
"That'll still leave 7th Armored with plenty of units," said Carter, "but it'll take a few hours just to get the tanks there."  
  
"I'd go for light armor like Bradleys," said Morelli, "Easier to move there."  
  
"That's a good point. All right. We'll move in with some Humvees and Bradleys. I'll notify General Sheppard."  
  
"What kind of air support will I have?" asked Carter.  
  
"We'll still blast their base with napalm," said Morelli, "Besides that, we'll have some Apaches watching over you."  
  
"Two squadrons," said Sheppard, "We aren't here to do things cheap. We're here to do them right."  
  
"I can move in with a total of fifty soldiers," said Carter.  
  
"That should be enough. This base is far better equipped than any other base I've ever seen. We'll have to be careful attacking. How fast can we strike it?"  
  
"Give me two hours," said Carter, "and our troops will be there."  
  
"Deploy."  
  
  
  
Nod light tanks left the base and started out. Their destination, Ar- Riyad. The Brotherhood was supported by members of the Islamic Jihad, the Fist of Allah, and some elements of the Saudi military. The American presence did not worry the Nod forces too much. They were sure that they could defeat them quickly. Besides, they were outnumbered.  
  
  
  
American A-10s dropped their napalm bombs all over the Nod base. Soldiers tried to get out of the way while others fired whatever weapons they had at the Warthogs. However, it was all futile. The napalm spread throughout the base and killed the Nod troops. Many went underground and closed their bunkers, surviving the firestorm. After it was quiet they came out. However, Bradley IFV machines were rolling into the base and fired upon them. American special force operatives disembarked from the Bradleys and fired at the Nod troops. They tried to fight back but the American troops overwhelmed them. After several more minutes of fierce shootouts the American troops won.  
  
"Major, where are their armored units?" a soldier asked Carter.  
  
"That's what I want to know. Carter to Morelli."  
  
"Morelli here."  
  
"I think we came here too late. It looks like most of the armored units already left."  
  
"Shit. You think they're attacking 7th Armored?"  
  
"I think they're attacking the Saudi government. I suggested you inform General Shield."  
  
"Acknowledged. Morelli out."  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
Z98 


End file.
